


To Live For, To Die For

by Madifishy



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Character Death, Companions, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Gore, Minor Violence, Pain, Suffering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-21 23:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11954727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madifishy/pseuds/Madifishy
Summary: MacCready and Arin (original SS) are headed back to Murkwater Construction Site, when they realize something is terribly wrong.





	To Live For, To Die For

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning: minor injury, explicit language, and major character death
> 
> Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I've been working a lot lately and haven't gotten the opportunity to sit down and write. Nevertheless, here's a new story! I hope you enjoy it! This one is actually based off a dream I had. I awoke from the dream and decided to write about it. Depending on the feedback on this, I may write additional chapters. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and supporting my work! Comments and kudos are much appreciated!
> 
> (To the person who asked, I will be updated the T or D story ASAP :) )

Arin and MacCready headed west to Murkwater Construction Site, trudging through the swampy marshland, sending mud shooting in all directions. Arin's head was down as she watched the mud squish under her heavy boots. It was storming bad, and thick sheets of rain plummeted down onto both of them.

MacCready tilted his head up to the sky, allowing rain to stream down his face. His face was covered in dirt and dust, which he felt being washed away by the water. "Pick up the pace" Arin shouted, not bothering to look back at her companion. 

"Why? We in a hurry, Boss?"

His question was met with silence. Ever since Arin had headed into the Institute, she was always in a hurry to reach her destinations. MacCready tried not to bother her about it, tried to just go with it, though sometimes he wondered what it was that she was afraid of. He'd seen the woman take down Deathclaws as tall as a three story building. It was unlike her to be fearful. 

Arin picked up the pace as the settlement came into view. Their view was blurred by the pouring rain, and Mac noticed that Arin's shoulders were red from the harshness of the sharp bullets of rain that assaulted their skin. He made a mental note to take care of her tender skin once they had settled into Arin's home at the settlement. 

Arin stumbled forward and fell to her hands and knees in the mud, letting out a gasp. MacCready's eyes widened and he hurriedly crouched down next to her. "Arin are you alright? Did you trip?" 

She didn't answer. Her eyes were fixated over her shoulder at something almost futuristic looking. The peculiar object sat half submerged in the mud, and still looked extremely clean despite its current predicament. The shiny white material glistened in the rain, and suddenly Mac understood why Arin couldn't find her words. This was an Institute laser pistol. And they were twenty feet away from their camp. 

Arin lurched to her feet and began sprinting wildly towards the settlement, her boots sending globs of mud ricocheting into the air. "Arin!" her companion yelled, following after her, but far behind. Mac couldn't run as fast as Arin, he'd never been able to. "Arin! Hold on!"

Arin didn't even hear her friend. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her heartbeat was loud in her ears. The Institute had been here. The fucking monsters. They had promised to leave her settlements alone. She skidded in the mud and barely avoided colliding into a gen 2 synth body lying on the ground. Her eyes darted left and right as she charged into her camp. The camp was empty. Where was everyone? What had those Institute bastards done to them?

Her heart froze in her chest as a dull ringing droned in her ears. Nick. She had left Nick here to protect everyone. Nick would never flee a fight, especially if the lives of innocent settlers were at risk. She trusted him to keep these people safe, so where was everyone?

Where was Nick?

Nick wouldn't bail. He would stay and protect the settlers. He would protect them until his dying breath. A chill rattled down her spine and she felt her skin tingle at the thought. Until his dying breath. 

MacCready approached her, his chest rising and falling heavily as he struggled to force air into his lungs. Chasing Arin was hard work; the girl could definitely run. 

Arin jogged up to the steps of her cabin, the one where Nick often stayed. She bolted up the steps, catching her foot on the top step and falling. She grunted as the splintered wood made contact with her shin. She briefly looked down at the newly bloodied wound on her leg before shoving the door open. The fabric of her trousers had been torn and the skin and flesh below was now exposed. 

The door hit a toppled wooden table inside the house, and refused to open further. Arin managed to squeeze in through the gap in the door, and her eyes scanned the disheveled room. 

Broken dishes were strewn about, coffee cups lay in pieces, furniture lay on its side and her terminal had been smashed. 

"Yikes." MacCready had just slinked into the cabin, able to get through the partially open door far easier than Arin had. He placed a hand on Arin's shoulder, but she wrenched her shoulder from his grasp and began searching her home. "Nick!" She called out, peering into the bathroom. She reached for the handle on the door to her bedroom, but the handle wouldn't budge. She shoved her weight against the door, to no avail. 

Mac ushered her out of the way and slammed his shoulder into the door, breaking it from the hinges, causing it to hit the ground with a colossal crash. Arin quickly entered the room, and a rattling shriek tore from her mouth. 

She fell to her knees gasping for breath, struggling to take in the scene in front of her. Hot tears suddenly sprang to her eyes and burned down her cheeks. Deep sobs escaped her lips. In front of her lay Nick's body, cold, lifeless. She crawled over and cradled his face with her hands. His normally glowing, yellow eyes were dark and empty. Dead. 

Her whole body convulsed as she held her dead friend. She couldn't look away. He was gone. He was actually gone. "Nicky?" She rolled a finger over the synthetic skin of his cheek, half expecting his darkened eyes to light up. "Nicky, please." Her voice broke this time as a son interrupted her. 

MacCready dropped to her side and pulled her to his chest, desperate to get her to look away from her deceased companion. Arin didn't deserve this. . .she had already dealt with so much pain and suffered so many losses. He tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms protectively around her. 

She screamed in anger and clenched her teeth. The Institute did this, the fucking bastards. She felt the scratchy fabric of Mac's jacket absorb her tears. She felt the gentle rise and fall of his chest against her quivering body. He was alive. Why couldn't Nick be alive? 

"Arin. . ." Mac's voice trailed off. Arin assumed this was his way of telling her that she shouldn't stay here with her friend's body. The longer she stayed, the worse she'd feel. She stole another glimpse at the synth. His hat was askew on his head and his trench coat was as dusty and filthy as it had always been. She almost smiled. Nick was never the type to keep things clean or organized, and how he presented himself showed it. His clothes were always a mess. 

She buried her face in Mac's chest and allowed her tired body to lean on him, desperate to escape the pain she felt.

She would avenge Nick. She had to.


End file.
